Canyon Creek - Stilly wood
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Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=7714
Printed Date: 07 Jul 2026 at 8:11pm
Topic: Canyon Creek - Stilly wood
Posted By: JoesKayak
Subject: Canyon Creek - Stilly wood
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 4:29pm
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I did a low water run on the CC today... the good news is most of the old wood including the big log at bridge drop is gone... the bad news is there is LOTS of new wood. Basically, don't bother with this run until we get some really significant floods to wash it out. There is wood in rapid #3 that can be avoided. The next drop (headwall rapids} is a portage now. It's chock full of wood. The next rapid (double drop} is clean though the main drops, but theres a huge log in the creek just above the main drops that might wash in there. The next rapid has wood in several spots, right in the main lines. We portaged this one, and it wasn't too fun. Then there is another riverwide logjam just downstream that needs to be portaged. Then there are a few more trees downstream we could get by without a portage. Big fun. |
Replies:
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 4:51pm
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Thanks for the update Joe. I had been thinking about making a CC run tomorrow. Is it worth paddling in there with a saw or is it too much wood for a handsaw right now?
------------- Dave |
Posted By: Courtney
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 5:08pm
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I heard Pilchuck Creek has quite a few strainers also.
Jimmy
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Posted By: Wiggins
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 7:42pm
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Between Pilchuck Falls and the take out there are seven mandatory portages, and at least two that are a good idea. Some of the more dangerous wood was channel spanning and in the narrower parts of the creek where the banks are high and steep. Lots of other wood to dodge as well.
I would wait a while before running it again.
Kyle ------------- I smell bacon |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 8:08pm
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Originally posted by Texas Dave Thanks for the update Joe. I had been thinking about making a CC run tomorrow. Is it worth paddling in there with a saw or is it too much wood for a handsaw right now? Nah... most of the wood is big logs and whole trees in spots that would be hard to get to. Need a big flood to come through. |
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2009 at 8:49pm
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Bummer - I was hoping to get on CC a bunch this winter. Guess I'll have to wait for the spring floods.
If you haven't already, don't forget to add these wood reports to the River Alert tool. These posts tend to get buried and forgoten after a few days. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2009 at 8:37pm
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Good point about the River Alert Tool, Dave. Yeah It's such a short run that you usually need to run laps to get a fix in. With that many log jams, it hardly sounds worth the trouble while so much portaging is required. If it was my back yard run, though, I'd probably go in at least once to see if a saw would help. But I'd rather Robe anyway. ------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2009 at 11:01pm
| Yeah... since it's such a short run it's really not worth the trouble now.... It sucks.. after the first rapid, I was stoked that it was finally clean... then basically each rapid got worse after that. At higher water it would really be treacherous as eddies and portage routes dissapeared. |
Posted By: fiddleyak
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2009 at 11:44pm
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Well, let's hope the river prediction is true and the Stilly floods!
------------- |
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2009 at 11:22am
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Originally posted by fiddleyak
Well, let's hope the river prediction is true and the Stilly floods! As someone who lives on the Stilly, I hope it doesn't flood. I do however hope for a high water event that will push the wood out of CC. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2009 at 7:17pm
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Yeah... double edged sword, huh? It is going to take some big water to get that wood out... let's just hope not too big. The one that worries me the most is the log thats in the "double drop" rapid just below the headwall rapid. You know how after you run the class 3 entry you can eddy out in the middle of the river behind a couple rocks just above the main drop? Well. that's right where that log is... its about 2 feet thick, 50 feet long and running parallel to the current so you can't get in those little eddies and it forces you to commit to either the right [usual] or left side early on. Well... if a smaller water event comes in, it could move the log right into the main drop, and since this is the one drop you can't really portage it would be ugly. Hopefully we can get a nice 4-5K flush though there instead of a 10k flood. |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 7:51am
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hey Joe are you going to make a run today to give a wood SIT REP? |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 9:06am
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Um.... I think I'll pass. Breaking your foot is one thing. Drowning is another. 8000 cfs is a bit above my comfort zone for this run. Smartass.  |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 9:36am
| hehehe ... just thought I'd poke at cha!!! |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 10:17am
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Originally posted by Texas Dave Originally posted by fiddleyak Well, let's hope the river prediction is true and the Stilly floods! As someone who lives on the Stilly, I hope it doesn't flood. I do however hope for a high water event that will push the wood out of CC. Hey Dave.... I hope things stay OK at your place! I hear record flooding could be headed to the Stilly drainage. Let me know if you need any help!!! |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 4:14pm
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For sure .... I have had a few friends call me today worried about the
rivers that might leave a little something on their doorstep. If your
worried about flooding lets get the word out so we can all make a
community effort to help sandbag or move items. I know that I am not going to get flooded so let me know if I can help you! I don't think noaa can even help themselves. 
|
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 5:15pm
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I think we will stay dry. the stilly has to hit somewhere between 18 and 20 feet before our house floods. So far, the forecast looks good for us.
thanks for the concern.
On the plus side though, hopefully this will push all that wood out of CC. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: James
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 6:46pm
| ask and ye shall receive aeh? |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2009 at 7:46pm
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I liked how their forecast calls for the river to drop back down to under 5 feet in a couple of days. yeah right! Originally posted by James
For sure .... I have had a few friends call me today worried about the rivers that might leave a little something on their doorstep. If your worried about flooding lets get the word out so we can all make a community effort to help sandbag or move items. I know that I am not going to get flooded so let me know if I can help you! I don't think noaa can even help themselves.
|
Posted By: Texas Dave
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2009 at 5:56am
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Well, our house managed to stay dry last night. The road leading into my place which parallels the river has about 6" running over it right now though. I hope everyone else out there is doing as well. ------------- Dave |
Posted By: septimus prime
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2009 at 8:47am
| Glad to hear the house is dry, Dave. Im up for a CC Stilly wood exploratory run when the levels drop. |
Posted By: JoesKayak
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2009 at 2:38pm
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Originally posted by septimus prime Glad to hear the house is dry, Dave. Im up for a CC Stilly wood exploratory run when the levels drop. For sure! I'm in... Unfortunately it looks like the high water made the DOE gage go wacky. It looks like it's reading about 4000 cfs lower than actual. |
Posted By: jP
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2009 at 7:54pm
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Yeah maybe problem solved. I'm down for the post flood exploratory effort soon.
------------- 🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋🐋 |